People Inc.
Part of People Inc.’s Family Support Services (FSS), our Social Skills Program works with Autistic children and young adults in a group setting to address a variety of social and pragmatic skills. Groups have 6-8 participants and are led by a social skills coordinator along with support staff.
The program takes place twice a month at 40 Hazelwood Ave., Amherst, NY and includes two groups:
- Elementary Group for ages 6-12
- Adolescent Group for ages 13-21
Program Focus Areas
- Making/maintaining conversation
- Making eye contact
- Taking turns (during play, conversational activities, etc.)
- Making socially appropriate comments
- Participating in discussions about a range of topics outside of their own areas of interest
- Demonstrating good manners
- Following social rules (i.e. waiting their turn in line, placing an order in a restaurant, etc.)
- Establishing and maintaining friendships with same age peers
Eligibility
People Inc. Social Skill’s Program is a program through NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Participants must reside with a family member to be eligible for this program and NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) eligibility.
Families are responsible for transporting their loved ones to and from the program. Due to the nature of this program, we do not have one-on-one aides available for those who require assistance with self-care skills or behavior interventions. Those enrolled in this program should be independent in self-care skills. To maximize the effectiveness of this program, an active interest in improving social skills should be demonstrated by those enrolled.
Ages: 6 to 21 | Admissions